BiPap - should I use BiFlex?

[dcryandc]

I'm a new member of the sleep apnea club. I started XPAP therapy in July on a Respironics M Pro CPAP w/CFLEX, but was swallowing huge amounts of air. In August my sleep doc changed me over to a Respironics BiPAP Pro 2, but when the DME tech set it up, he told me I didn't need the BIFLEX option, so it is not activated.

Using the BiPAP has really cut down on the air swallowing, but I still have it some when I wake up each morning.

My BiPAP readings have been good - AHI of around 3 (my sleep study was 17).

I'm not sure what the BIFLEX mode is. Would using the BIFLEX technology be helpful to me?

[Nodzy]

I'm not sure what the BIFLEX mode is. Would using the BIFLEX technology be helpful to me?

This link may help. [Respironics FLEX Family

Many people seem to perfer the FLEX mode on their Respironics flow generators, but some don't. I wouldn't turn mine off. It trims the airflow and rounds-off sharp pressure changes in a manner that feels more like natural breathing. Like most facets of OSA treatment ... choices and needs are highly personal as what works best for you.

Now... if they could just make highly effective leak-proof virtual masks and headgear, so the patients wouldn't wake with mask-seal marks on the face every morning... ... then maybe...

Welcome to world of hosers where the best therapy is achieved by being proactive in your treatment. Good luck.

Nodzy

[dcryandc]

Nodzy - Thanks!

[rested gal]

As Nodzy said, some find that C-flex, A-Flex, and Bi-Flex ... any of the "flexes" suit them well and make treatment feel smoother, while others find they don't suit their breathing. I have always used them at the most "flex" they will give...a setting of 3 with any of them.

It's perfectly ok for you to experiment with the three bi-flex settings despite the DME saying "you don't need it." I don't "need" them either, but do find bi-flex is very comfortable...for me.

Your machine has two "comfort" settings -- you can keep both off, or you can use one or the other. Can't use both at the same time. If you set the first one, the other one probably won't even appear in the menu later. To see the other one, you probably will have to set the first one to "off" or zero. The two settings are "Bi-Flex" and "Comfort Control" or "Rise" (called "Rise Comfort" in the M bilevel machines.)

Comfort Control is "Rise" time...adjusts how fast the machine will switch to the higher inhale pressure each time you actually start to inhale. I liked the longest..highest number...rise time whenever I used the "Comfort Control". A short rise time can feel like an abrupt bump to the higher inhale pressure. When a bilevel machine is being used for specific therapeutic reasons, the "rise time" might need to be at a particular number, but since the machine was prescribed for you to deal with aerophagia, you can experiment with all the comfort stuff as you wish.

Of the two "comfort" features I personally prefer by far Bi-Flex instead of the "Comfort Control" Rise time setting. As Nodzy described, bi-flex makes the transitions between inhale/exhale feel softer or smoother.

If you want to access the clinical menu of your machine so you can walk through all the settings:

Enter the Therapy Setup Menu by holding the two top user buttons down while plugging in the power cord. Hold the buttons down until the machine beeps.

Left/Right arrow buttons act like the back/forward arrows of a web browser to go backward and forward through the menu.

Humidifier and Ramp buttons act as up/down buttons to make changes in a setting. Any changes made are automatically saved and take effect the next time the machine is started.

On/off button exits from the therapy setup menu.

If you do decide to go into the therapy menu, I'd suggest NOT making any changes at all the first time through. Just walk through it using only the right/left arrow buttons to look at things, and write down every word, every symbol, every number you see in each window so you'll have a record of what your original settings are.

That way, if you ever decide you want to make a change or try different "comfort" settings, and don't like the results, you can go back to the original settings you wrote down.

[dcryandc]

rested gal - VERY helpful also! Thanks!

I particularly appreciated the explanation of the two comfort settings, as I have experimented with the "Rise" setting and found that I also like it on the highest one.

Now that I know how to get at the "Flex" settings, I will compare the two.